Operating systems such as Microsoft™ Windows 2000™, Microsoft ™ Windows XP™, etc. are well known today. Different types of client computers may require different Hardware Abstraction Layer (“HAL”) programs for otherwise the same operating system. The reason is that the Hardware Abstraction Layer is an interface between the operating system kernel and the client computer hardware and microcode, and interacts with the client computer hardware and microcode. Therefore, each type of client computer needs a HAL program which is specific to the type of client computer hardware and microcode. In general, a known HAL program comprises programming to perform the following functions:                Controls I/O interfaces and provides a uniform I/O interface model to drivers;        Controls interrupts;        Manages multiple processors;        Isolates other portions of the operating system, such as the kernel, from hardware specific details, to facilitate a uniform computing environment.        
If the client computer has an older Programmable Interrupt Controller (“PIC”) (i.e. an interrupt controller device capable of managing fifteen interrupt request lines), one form of HAL will be needed to interact with the associated client computer hardware and microcode. However, if the client computer has a newer Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller (“APIC”) (i.e. an enhanced interrupt controller device capable of managing twenty four or more interrupt request lines and supporting hyperthreading and multiprocessor multi-core systems), a different form of the proper HAL will be needed to interact with the associated client computer hardware and microcode. Consequently, a “build” server or build media (responsible for facilitating the installation of the operating system into client computers) needs two different “images” of the operating system to perform the installations, one to deploy the operating system to PIC computers and another to deploy the operating system to APIC computers.
An installation program can load the operating system (including its HAL program) and associated drivers, utilities and applications via the Internet, a Local Area Network, or from optical media to the target client computer. There are known program tools executable in the client computer to automate the installation, such as IBM Standard Client Installer (“ISCI”) program, PowerQuest DeployCenter program and Wilson WindowWare Winbatch scripting language compiled executables. In summary, the known ISCI program operates as follows:
For a network assisted build of the operating system in the client computer, an operator inserts ISCI boot media into the client computer, and the ISCI program begins processing. ISCI then determines the closest “build server” using an intelligent routing algorithm. ISCI then checks the client computer to ensure it is compatible with at least one of the operating system releases stored on the build server. If this check passes, ISCI proceeds as follows. A PowerQuest PartitionMagic program tool obtains free space on the hard drive and creates a temporary File Allocation Table (“FAT”) partition called “staging” on the hard drive. Then, ISCI downloads the operating system image from the build server directly to the staging partition on the hard drive. The ISCI also downloads a PowerQuest DeployCenter program into the staging partition. Then ISCI invokes the DeployCenter program to write and restore the operating system image to the free space on the hard drive. “Restore” means to extract the data and program files from the image, reformat the data and program files and convert them to a bootable form. This creates a New Technology File System (“NTFS”) partition on the hard drive, containing the operating system in a bootable form. ISCI also requests download of additional drivers and support utilities to the temporary partition on the client computer, if needed. ISCI determines which utilities and drivers the client needs by examining a file called mtb.ini, which lists configuration information for each client computer. ISCI then copies the drivers from the temporary partition into the operating system partition using the PowerQuest PQAccess.exe tool, needed for writing to NTFS type partitions from outside a Windows operating system. ISCI also delivers support programs into the temporary partition that allow the operating system, such as Windows XP, to automatically modify system settings, install utilities and applications, etc., after ISCI relinquishes control and the operating system first boots on the client computer. The temporary partition is deleted at the end of the build process.
For a non-network assisted build of the operating system in the client computer, an operator inserts the ISCI boot media into the client computer, and the ISCI program begins processing. The boot media may be either a diskette or optical media (CD or DVD). For an optical media build, ISCI performs the same functions as above, except all programs and data that would be downloaded from a build server for a network assisted build are instead copied from optical media. In addition to the operating system, the installation program can automatically install the associated drivers, utilities and applications to the client computer.
If the known installation program needs to install the Windows XP operating system into different types of client computers, such as both ACPI APIC and ACPI PIC computers, then the known installation program needs two “images” of the Windows XP operating system, one with the HAL for ACPI APIC and another with the HAL for ACPI PIC.
For each different image of the operating system that is needed in the build server or media, there are associated management and administrative costs, such as the cost of disk storage and the effort required to keep each operating system image consistent with updates.
A known Microsoft Sysprep program tool can perform a highly limited and constrained form of HAL modification on a target computer. For example, it can accommodate the change from a Uniprocessor version of the ACPI PIC HAL to a Multiprocessor version of the same ACPI PIC HAL, but it cannot change the core HAL type completely, and therefore does not avoid the need to create and maintain multiple operating system images. For more information on the Sysprep tool, the “Running Sysprep” section of publicly available Microsoft Windows XP Resource Kit Documentation can be consulted. This document is available both online and in print form (ISBN 0735614857), and the “Running Sysprep” section is hereby incorporated by reference as part of the present disclosure.
An object of the present invention is to provide an installation program which can install an operating system into different types of client computers requiring different HAL programs, such as both ACPI APIC and ACPI PIC computers, from a single image of the operating system in the build server or build media.
A more specific object of the present invention is to provide an installation program which can install a Windows XP operating system into both ACPI APIC and ACPI PIC computers, from a single image of the Windows XP operating system on the build server or media.